Even from the great
beyond, the maverick Alyque Padamsee continues to share mind-blowing life hacks
for yet another generation, in his latest book ‘Let Me Hijack Your Mind’,
co-authored by Vandana Saxena Poria, to be released at Crossword Bookstores,
Kemps Corner, Mumbai, on 18 May, 2022. The soiree will also witness an interesting
conversation between actors Jim Sarbh and Dalip Tahil, choreographer Shiamak Davar,
Raell Padamsee and Vadana Saxena Poria and live music by Chirag Agarwal.
Theatre and
advertising doyen, the late Alyque Padamsee in his last book ‘Let Me Hijack
Your Mind’ invites readers to debunk many deep-rooted societal beliefs and
think afresh about so many extremely serious matters such as love and marriage,
money, gender, leadership, and faith. Co-authored by Vandana Saxena Poria, and
published by Penguin India, in the words of proud daughter Raell Padamsee, this
work is Alyque’s legacy for the future—it teaches people how to question their
innermost thoughts and follow only those that lead to a flourishing life.
According to Raell,
her father believed “Most of us are living with one foot in the past, holding
onto thoughts made up by people we never knew. Think about all the social
conventions we follow without a question—from getting a University degree, to
marriage, to how we dress and how we work.” Through this book, Alyque wanted
people to realise this fallacy and question themselves about how they’re to
live their lives, by codes set by others or by being true to oneself!
About working with
the co-author, Raell elaborates that Alyque had been meaning to write another
book but had not yet decided on the theme. “When he met Vandana in 2015,” Raell continues, “he quickly realised she
was on the same wavelength. She had
lived across the world and balanced the world of Arts with a successful career
in Chartered Accountancy; the right mix for him. Vandana has done a fabulous
job of sifting through 173 hours of
conversation, and distilling its essence to come up with simple, striking
prose. She worked with him until his death and then continued to help our
family and Penguin to finish the book.” The foreword to the book has been given
by Ronnie Screwvala.
Alyque was affected
when people around him were unhappy and this book is his heartfelt attempt to
commandeer one from what makes one unhappy and journey with them by way of
finding new ways to solve old problems in his patent racy, non-preachy manner.
The book is deliberately designed to throw one off-balance and then help one
find a new, more relevant centre with the help of notes on how to dream, live
and love afresh.
Taking the ideas of
the book forward, there are plans for an interaction between Bollywood actors
Jim Sarbh and Dalip Tahil, co-author Vandana and Raell Padamsee on the day of
the release. “It’s going to be a lot of fun!
The four of us will be in conversation about what we learnt from Alyque
over the years, how we have applied those skills in various areas of our lives,
and how young people can take these ideas to make their lives easier. We will
be discussing some of the chapter topics from the book we found interesting,
such as ‘Should marriage change to a renewable 5-year licence?’, ‘Should education become edutainment to ensure lifelong
learning?’, and ‘Can Theatre teach you what’s necessary to be successful in
Business?’ I, for one, am really looking forward to it,” Raell states.
For the
uninitiated, the father of Indian advertising, Alyque Padamsee was the CEO
responsible for building up Lintas India to become one of the greatest ad
agencies in the country. He was the brains behind such iconic ad campaigns as
the Liril girl, Surf’s Lalitaji, the MRF Muscle Man, and the unforgettable
‘Hamara Bajaj’. In theatre, his English language productions such as Evita,
Jesus Christ Superstar, and Tuglaq broke the box office. Conferred with the
Padma Shree and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Theatre by the Sangeet Natak
Akademi, his portrayal of ‘Muhammad Ali Jinnah’ in Sir Richard Attenborough's
Oscar-winning movie ‘Gandhi’ was well appreciated by the international
audience.
Raell Padamsee has
the last word, “Dad, I am so proud that your thoughts are finally out in the
world! You were a real icon, and you still live to be one.”
Attend the book
release of the Penguin-published ‘Let Me Hijack Your Mind’ by the late Alyque
Padamsee, co-authored by Vandana Saxena Poria on 18 May, 2022, at Crossword Bookstores, Kemps Corner. The
book will be available at all Crossword Bookstores outlets and across all major
digital platforms such as Amazon.in
